3 Simple Steps To Move Training Online

3 Simple Steps to Move Training Online
If your organization is like most, then you are scrambling to

convert your traditional instructor led classes to a live online
format. You may be hoping to take advantage of the cost
savings offered by virtual training, such as saving time, or
reducing travel expenses. Maybe you are moving your training
online in order to reach your dispersed workforce. Regardless
of your reason, the time is now for virtual training. With the
advances in technology, growth of mobile devices, and the
increased mobility and globalization of the workforce, virtual
training just makes sense.
Over the past 7 years, delivery of traditional instructor-led training
classes has decreased from 70% to 49%, while other methods,
gap1. So while traditional in-person classes still comprise a large
percentage of training delivered in organizations, virtual training
Synchronous?
Live online?
Virtual training?
Yes! These terms
all refer to virtual
instructor-led training,
or vILT.
more training to your employees, and to reach your increasingly

mobile workforce.
Whether you are an early adopter of live online training, or
just getting started in your transition, you need to know how to
transition your training classes. This white paper outlines the three
steps you should follow when converting your traditional, inperson training classes into online ones. It also reviews the types
of live online sessions you could have, and will help you avoid
the three most common conversion mistakes. Whether you are a
trainer, a designer, or someone overseeing training, this paper is
for you.
Virtual training suffers from a poor reputation because many

people think its boring or not an engaging way to learn. They
may have attended a lecture-style webcast, or they cant
imagine how they could meaningfully interact with others online.
However, when designed well, synchronous virtual training can
provide meaningful learning opportunities for participants.
Learn more at www.cindyhuggett.com

Cindy Huggett, 2012 All Rights Reserved
Source: Bersin & Associates 2012 Corporate Learning Factbook
Your success with virtual training will depend upon a design

that engages participants, helps them learn a new skill, and
creates a great learning experience.
It doesnt matter
what type of training
you have, almost
anything can be
taught in the live
online environment.
Its possible to
deliver technical
training, software
training, interpersonal
skills training,
communication
skills, and even sales
training using the
virtual classroom.
This paper assumes you already have a well-designed

traditional in-person training class. Your challenge is how to
translate this design into an equally superior online class. The
three steps outlined in this white paper will help you do just
that.
Of course, if you are starting from scratch to create a virtual
training course, many of these same design principles will
apply. You will still need to determine what type of online
session you will have, still need to avoid common virtual
training design mistakes, and still follow the three steps.
Lets begin with a look at the types of live online sessions

you can have because this distinction will help determine
your design decisions.
As I discussed in chapter 1 of my book, Virtual Training
Basics, there are varying types of sessions. These sessions
have both in-person and online equivalents. In the inperson environment, you have four general categories of
gatherings: meetings, presentations, seminars, and training
classes. Its the same in the live online environment:
Learn more at
A gathering of people to discuss topics.
Meeting
One-way communication on any topic

from a speaker to audience of varying
sizes. No interactivity except for Q&A at
the end.
Webcast
One-way communication on an
educational topic designed to impart
knowledge from an expert speaker
to the audience. Some interaction
between speaker and audience may
occur.
Webinar
A method of improving someones

performance, centered on learning
objectives.
Virtual InstructorLed Training (vILT)
Each of these gatherings has a purpose and an opportunity

for design. There is not a right or wrong format for the type
of session you will have.
drive your design decisions.
Its important to make

sure you and your team
are using the same
Designing for a 15-person training class is different than

designing for a webinar that will have 75 people in it, and
creating a design for a small virtual meeting will be different
than designing a webcast with 2000 people.
Recognize this difference so that you can design the
appropriate type of session.
that there is no confusion.

For instance, many training
professionals and experts
their virtual training classes
as webinars. In this
distinction, what really
matters is the meaning
behind the words.
If you call your interactive
online training session a
webinar and someone
else thinks that you mean
one-way presentation
then those mismatched
expectations could
lead to problems. Set
expectations appropriately
with everyone who will be
involved with designing,
delivering, and consuming
your online sessions.

There are three common mistakes made when converting

traditional training classes to the synchronous live online
environment. Lets explore each one, so that you can avoid
them when translating your classes.
1.
is taking an interactive,
instructor-led classroom session and turning it
into a presentation-style webcast. This happens
more frequently than you would think because
presenters can fall into lecture mode when they
cant see participants. In addition, slides tend to
be the easiest thing to convert to the live online
environment, so facilitators might rely on them too
much when presenting.
Remember, you are converting training, not oneway presentations. Just because participants
are dispersed doesnt mean that your live online
class should be a lecture. Dont forget what you
know about adult learning principles and how to
engage participants in learning. Those guidelines
apply to all types of training, including virtual. Your
virtual training design should be just as engaging
and interactive as if it were in-person. Use the
built-in engagement features of the online training
platform so your virtual attendees dont have to
suffer through a lecture when what they need is a

training class.
2.
is thinking that an 8-hour,

instructor-led class will be an 8-hour, live online
virtual session. The reality is that one minute of
classroom time does not equal one minute of
virtual time.
For example, in an in-person class, you might
have participants go around the room and
introduce themselves one-by-one. But in the
virtual classroom, participants can type their
introductions in the chat window. The in-person
introductions could take more than 20 minutes,
while the online chat introductions might only take
2 minutes.
So when you convert in-person classes, especially
to shorten activities and economize time. While
every activity may not move faster, you can use
technology tools to your advantage. This is one of
3.
the number of participants in the live online

class. Most traditional in-person training classes
are designed for small numbers of participants.
Typical training class numbers range from 10-25
participants, depending upon the subject matter
and other logistics.
Yet the temptation to vastly increase participant
numbers in the equivalent live online class size
Just because you can put hundreds of participants
in an online classroom, doesnt mean you should.
There are most certainly times when large numbers
of participants in an online session is a good thing.
If your goal is to present information in a webcast
format, or your goal is to have a knowledgeawareness-only online seminar, then go for a
large number of participants. You can achieve
economies of scale when holding online meetings.

Remember, the important thing is to distinguish

these large events from your training classes. If a
training class is designed for 20 people, then the
training class is designed for 20 people whether its
in-person or online. If you increase the participant
numbers then you will lose the interactivity, the
discussion opportunities, and the ability to easily
coach participants on the new skills.
Of course, its possible to have an interactive
session with large participant numbers. The
important message, however, is that you lose out
on the small group dynamic thats often necessary
in a training class. And perhaps more importantly,
if your training design is for a small group and you
then you will not achieve the intended learning
outcomes.
You can avoid these common mistakes when transferring
your training classes to the online environment by making
better choices about your virtual training design. And now
that you know what mistakes to avoid, lets learn how to
move your traditional training to the online classroom.
There are three simple steps to convert your traditional

training classes to the live online classroom2:
1. Return to the Learning Objectives
2. Select the best format for each
3. Design appropriate activities
Virtual Training Basics,

published by ASTD Press in 2010. This white paper expands upon them in much greater detail.
2

class learning objectives. What do learners need

to know or do at the end of the session? What skills
should they have? What changed behavior should
there be? What do they need to start doing? Or stop
doing?
By going back to the learning objectives, you have a
sense of what needs to be done in the virtual session.
The learning objectives reveal your end goal, your
end target, and what you want your learners to
accomplish. The learning objectives tell you whats
important and will guide you in the conversion
process.
What to do if your class doesnt have learning
objectives? Or it has weak learning objectives, ones
that begin with know or understand? Then return
to an instructional design model, such as ADDIE, to
analyze and determine what your learners need to
know or do as a result of the training.
In fact, its a good idea to go back and revisit the
learning objectives of your traditional training class
anyway. Even if you just quickly review and check to
see that they are still valid, you may uncover more
converting to the live online format.
Keep in mind that learning objectives are not the
same as an agenda or what you want to cover.
needs to know or do afterward. Learning objectives
are the foundation of your course; they are essential
to each and every training program.
As you examine each learning objective, you decide
which ones belong in the virtual class versus which
ones might better translate to pre- or post- class
activities.

to what learners need to know or do on the job.

According to Julie Dirksens fantastic book, Design for
How People Learn, well-written learning objectives should
indicate something the learner would actually do in the
real world and something you can tell when theyve
done it.
Even when knowledge is the expected outcome, there
is usually some way that learners need to act upon that
knowledge.
Therefore, expected outcomes in your learning
objectives should be stated with action verbs. One
sign of a weak learning objective is the use of know
or understand as the verb, because neither of those
actions can be measured.
To illustrate, consider these examples:
At the end of this training session, a participant will
know three techniques for responding to an upset
customer.
Or
At the end of this training session, a participant will be
able to:
Recognize three techniques for responding to upset
customers.
Select an appropriate technique based upon an
upset customers situation.
Use the appropriate technique to respond to an
upset customer.
Notice how the second example is much richer, ties
to what the learner would need to do on the job, and
enables you to plan out in more detail what the training
program needs to cover.

When moving to the online classroom, its common

to take a traditional training class, and convert to a
blended design. The knowledge-only pieces become
asynchronous activities while the rest of the class
translates into the synchronous class. For example:
Pre-class reading
assignment for
knowledge learning
4-hour traditional
instructor-led
training class
90-minute virtual class for

collaboration & skill practice
Self-paced activity
for on-the-job application
break down components of your in-person instructor

led training into virtual instructor-led training.
You can think of it like a childs building blocks that
can be pulled apart and put together in many
different ways. You can chunk the class into topics, or
sections, and then build it back together in ways that
make the most sense to your participants and their
learning needs. When done well, its an art form.
Once the learning objectives are set, the next step is

to select the best format for each one.

There are three main factors to consider when

choosing the best or the most appropriate format:
1. Learning Objectives
2. Technology Capabilities
3. Participant Backgrounds
and foremost, use the learning objectives we

discussed in step 1 as your basis for determining
the best format. The learning objectives will tell you
which topics belong in the virtual session, and which
topics can be moved to a pre-class or post-class
assignment. In other words, the learning objectives
guide the foundation of the virtual class design.
When considering the learning objectives, ask yourself
several questions such as, how will you know they
know? Is it observation? Do you need to see them
practice a skill? Or, can you simply assess them
through a knowledge check?
Each learning objective should be looked at for the
following items:
o
Is it a knowledge objective? If so, then this

topic may be something you could put
into a pre-session reading assignment.
together to learn it? If so, then this topic
may be best addressed during the live
online session.
Asking these questions will help drive your virtual

training design decisions. For example, if participants
can read a document and then take a written test
to prove they can recall its content, then it may be
that objective. But if you need to hear them practice
that particular skill, then this objective would likely
transfer into the live online class.
When considering whether or not participants need
to be together, think about interpersonal skills such

10
as communication or negotiation that need to be

practiced with someone else. Or, you might have
synchronous, live discussions. In those cases, it makes
sense to keep that topic in the virtual class.
, consider the technology capabilities within
your organization and of your participants. Some of
your virtual training design will be driven by these
technology capabilities (or the limitations of them).
For example, if you want participants to watch a
demonstration video clip but their computers dont
have sound cards, then you might need to determine
another way, such as still screen shots, to show the
demonstration.
Or, if you want participants to practice a skill in small
groups, and your organizations web conferencing
platform does not support in-session groups, then you
could design the training so that small groups would
meet on their own after a virtual class, and then
report back to the large group the next time.
To ensure your technology capabilities match your
training needs, you should partner closely with your
organizations IT department to select and implement
the appropriate technology.
, think about the participants who will be in your
sessions, and design with them in mind. For example,
do participants have limited time available during the
the length of your sessions. You may realize its better
to hold three 90-minute sessions on the same day,
with plenty of break time in-between. Or you may
determine that it would be better for your participants
several weeks.
Perhaps your participants use English as their second
language? If so, then you might need to allow for
extra reading and typing time during a session.
Or, you might need to include a glossary of terms
along with the participant materials, allowing global

11
participants time to look up unfamiliar words prior to

class.
Once you consider these three factors, you can
select the appropriate format for each objective and
develop the foundation and structure of your virtual
training program.
Once you have determined which topics to cover

within the virtual training session, the next step is to
select and sequence appropriate activities that lead
to accomplishment of the learning objectives.
The process of selecting activities is very similar to
designing a traditional training class. Whats different
are the tools available to you in the technical
so on.
Some activities in a traditional training class easily
translate into the live online environment. For
example, a classroom-paired discussion activity
could become an online-paired chat activity. Or a
classroom competition between teams to answer
questions could become an online competition using
poll questions. And a live demonstration could
become a virtual demonstration through screen
sharing capabilities.
There are two things to factor in when designing
activities for your virtual class:
1. Plan to engage participants at least every 3
minutes. Its important to keep their attention
on-screen, and away from the multitude of
distractions in the environment around them.
2. Ensure that everything in the class leads
toward the learning outcomes. Its important
to use only relevant exercises and activities
throughout the session.

12
Its not just about keeping

participants busy, its about engaging them in
their own learning.
Be resourceful when designing activities for the live

online classroom. Your use of the technology tools is
only limited by your imagination and creativity. For
example, if you usually toss a foam ball from one
participant to another in the in-person classroom,
think about how that could be done in the virtual
their name in the chat window, and then ask them to
select the next person, and so on, until everyone has
been chosen.
Think about ways participants can use all of the online
tools available to them. If you use handouts, have
worksheet exercise. When asking questions, direct
participants to respond via chat. When surveying the
group, create challenging poll questions to check for
knowledge or to get participants thinking.
In a recent online survey compiled by Roger Courville
of 1080 Group, attendees rated multi-select polling
as the most engaging activity in a virtual session.
Single-select polling followed close behind. Therefore,
your design will be more engaging if you involve
participants in the content by allowing them to
interactively choose multiple or individual answers.
Pay special attention to the opening moments of your
will decide if they will stay engaged or if they will
turn their attention to other things. Therefore, plan
moments of class. Not only will this get your class off
on the right foot, it will set the tone for an interactive
session.
In addition, remember to think about timing. For
example, a traditional class might call for participants
to watch a software demonstration, answer questions
about what they saw, and then try it on their own. This

13
exercise might take 45 minutes. Yet in the virtual

classroom, the questions might be converted to
polling which is often faster online.
One common question is about converting
lengthy, in-person classes into virtual ones:
What should you do if you start with a two-week
orientation program? Or a six-week in-depth
technical series?
In both cases, you would follow the same process:
return to the learning objectives, select the best
format for each, and then design appropriate
activities for the live online sessions. You will likely
break the training class into many smaller chunks.
The two-week orientation may become 10 live
online sessions with assignments in-between. The
six-week technical series may become a shorter, inperson class, with follow-up on virtual sessions and
on-the-job coaching. Again, your possibilities are
endless, provided you engage participants in their
own learning using all available tools.
Finally, remember to apply good design principles
when sequencing activities in your virtual classes.
Create a pattern, such as introduce it, practice
it, and apply it, thats repeated throughout the
session. Use a variety of interactive exercises and
creatively use the technology tools available to
keep participants interested. By following a logical
order in your activity sequence, and engaging
them frequently, you will help participants learn.

14
There are three simple steps to convert your traditional

training classes to the live online classroom:
1. Return to the learning objectives
2. Select the best format for each
3. Design appropriate activities
Online training is an effective way to reach more people

in an engaging learning environment. By following these
steps, and avoiding the common conversion mistakes,
you will be on your way to achieving success with your
virtual training classes.

15
Clay, Cynthia. Great Webinars: Create Interactive Learning

That Is Captivating, Informative, and Fun. San Francisco, CA:
Pfeiffer, 2012.
Corbett, Wendy Gates and Cindy Huggett. Infoline
Designing for the Virtual Classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASTD
Press, 2009.
Courville, Roger. The Virtual Presenters Handbook. Troutdale,
OR: CreateSpace, 2009.
Dirksen, Julie. Design for How People Learn. Berkley, CA: New
Riders, 2012.
Hofmann, Jennifer. Live and Online! Tips, Techniques,
and Ready-to-Use Activities for the Virtual Classroom. San
Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer, 2004.
Huggett, Cindy. Virtual Training Basics. Alexandria, VA: ASTD
Press, 2010.
Huggett, Cindy and Wendy Gates Corbett. Infoline Simple,
Effective, Online Training. Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press, 2008.
OLeonard, Karen. The Corporate Learning Factbook 2012:
Benchmarks, Trends and Analysis of the U.S. Corporate
Training Market. Oakland, CA: Bersin & Associates. 2012.
Pluth, Becky. Webinars with WOW Factor: Tips, Tricks and
Interactivities for Virtual Training. Minneapolis, MN: Pluth
Consulting, 2010.

16
Cindy is the author of Virtual Training

Basics, and coauthor of two ASTD
Infolines, Simple, Effective Online
Learning and Designing for the
Virtual Classroom. She has taught
hundreds of synchronous, online
classes for a variety of audiences.
Her favorite passion is to help trainers
deliver effective and engaging live
online classes. She also assists clients
on their transition to blended solutions
and conversion to virtual training.
Cindy served on the national ASTD Board of Directors in
Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) designation.
@cindyhugg, or contact her via her website:
Online Training Made Easy

Citrix GoToTraining is an easy-to-use online training service that
allows you to move your live instructor-led training programs
Hold unlimited online training sessions with up to 200 attendees
from around the world right from your Mac or PC. Reach more
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Learn more at
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3 Simple Steps to Move Training Online

If your organization is like most, then you are scrambling to

more training to your employees, and to reach your increasingly

Virtual training suffers from a poor reputation because many

Learn more at www.cindyhuggett.com

Source: Bersin & Associates 2012 Corporate Learning Factbook